Galactic Republic (Lok)
The Galactic Republic, or Lok's Galactic Republic was the dominant galactic government from 181 ABY to 233 ABY, at the end of the Age of Strife. Headed by Supreme Chancellor Lok Kavar, a man who found himself in politics at a young age. Lok saw the Republic's membership exploded ten-fold and saw the Republic Army and Navy expand to heights not seen or used since the clone wars. Lok ran the Republic will a small sect of followers and supporters, he was widely seen as a dictator but the Senate nor the people ever wished to challenge Lok due to his vast power within the military and his countless victories which saw the Republic in absolute prosperity for nearly 52 Years. Lok eventually resigned due to heavy pressure from the Old Jedi Order and internal issues, mainly regarding power sharing deals within the Senate. Lok resigned and Elyon, a relatively new Senator from Ryloth was chosen as the new Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, within days of Lok's resignation, the Galactic Republic turned into the Galactic Alliance (Eylon). Pre-Lok Republic A Galactic Republic had not existed since Supreme Chancellor, later Emperor Palpatine had lead one, a series of Supreme Chancellors who were ineffectual or corrupt existed, one of the most powerful examples was Supreme Chancellor Gritus, who was manipulating the Galactic Republic for his own ends, which he was later revealed to be a Sith Lord, much as Palpatine had done. The Supreme Chancellor who preceded Lok was a feeble man who did not have the wits to stand up against the Senate nor his own staff. Lok easily beat him in the 181 ABY Chancellery Elections. Lok in Power In 181 ABY, when Lok had finally achieved the office of Supreme Chancellor it was immediately recognized that he and the Senate were going to have problems. It was practice that the Supreme Chancellor never changed the appointed Chairmen of the Senate, who acted in his stead since the Supreme Chancellor couldn't always be at the sessions. Lok immediately removed the Chairmen and replaced him with a more flexible, loyal follower. Many Senators called Lok a dictator and a tyrant within the first days of his reign however the chairmen proved to be rather popular and effective throughout his tenure. Within the following months Lok increased military spending to an incredible 35 trillion galactic republic credits. Polls within the Republic showed the move favorable with the people however many of the Senators did not approve of the bill. It was in the 182 that many of Lok's followers were placed in the Senate and formed a faction dedicated to protecting Chancellor Lok and his proposals. The faction made up nearly 70% of the Senate, many Senators who weren't involved in the faction merely abstained from votes and debates seeing as it was unlikely it would lead to anything. Lok eventually went on to reform the Republic Army and Navy into professional standing forces which were maintained by the Ministry of Defense and the Galactic Republic High Command. The Minister of Defense and the Supreme Chancellor eventually combined into one position as Lok took the title of Supreme Commander of the Galactic Republic Military, it was a dictatorial shift in power, Lok now directly controlled the Army and Navy. Senators within the Lok Faction were weary of the move but supported it none the less. Loks reforms were all in the good of the Republic, he eliminated much of the corruption in the Senate and the bureaucracy as he made it illegal for the members of the government to associate with corporations or major businesses on their world, anyone found doing so was brought before a corruption committee and eventually tried for their crimes. In 183 ABY, the Galactic Republic was informed of a new powerful group called the Praxeum and Supreme Chancellor Lok assigned the Galactic Republic Intelligence Agency to investigate further, it was merely months after the initial discovery that the GRIA reported back that the Praxeum had taken Mygeeto and started on factories to produce droids, Lok realized that the galaxy would soon be plunged into war. Lok's return to the Galactic Republic was hailed as a victory, with the Praxeum out of the way, Lok regained control of many of the worlds which were the Republics prior to the successions and invasions. At this time a charismatic young Senator from Ryloth begun to make a name for himself, Eylon would later become a driving force in galactic politics, but until then, he remained a thorn in Loks side, one which Lok couldn't have brought before the corruption committee which was so dearly loved throughout the Senate. Interregnum Aeaolen Kicka™ former Jedi Master and Republic loyalist influenced the Supreme Chancellor to abandon the Republic and join the Praxeum, many thought the lure of power and wealth was what drove Lok to the Praxeum, however it was nothing more then a powerful mind trick which Aeaolen used to lore Lok. During Loks disappearance a series of weak and incompetent Chancellors ruled the Republic, none of them were able to stem the tide of the Praxeum and parts of the Republic joined the Praxeum, many of the Republic soldiers cast down their loyalties to the Republic and joined Lok, whom they thought would lead them to eternal glory. In 190 ABY, Lok returned to the Galactic Republic when Aeaolen's mind trick was broken when he left the Praxeum. Dictator? Lok was considered a Dictator during his entire tenure as Supreme Chancellor. In truth, Lok would later admit it in his memoirs which he wrote as Prime Minister of Kuat, the Senator of Kuat and head of it's planetary government. Lok rarely went through the typical procedure of the Senate to get laws made, he enacted special ministry directives which circumvented the entire senatorial process. Not only a political dictator, Lok exercised complete and utter dominant control over the military, nothing was done without his explicit permission, something which was needed in a system which was relatively unknown to freedom. Senates Power The Galactic Republic Senate was virtually powerless during the reign of Lok, only during the beginning and end of his tenure did the Senate regain some of it's power and ability. Lok often kept Senators in check by having them threatened with being brought before the corruption committees that destroy the senate careers of thousands of Senators. Succession and Change The former Chancellor Galactic Republic Military Once a figment of imagination in the Galactic Republic, a professional military force was often thought of being a crazy idea that the Chancellors had once had, however Lok turned that idea into a reality. Supreme Chancellor Lok became involved in the military at a young age and was eventually approved to be a full, four star General in the volunteer Republic Army. It was here that Lok fostered his desire for a full time, professional military. Lok in 182 ABY passed the Republic Military Creation Act, it passed with an incredible margin, with only 4 votes abstaining. Lok created the Galactic Republic High Command which oversaw the day to day operations of both the Republic Army Command and the Republic Navy Command. The Republic Ministry of Defense handled the administrative and financial side of the military, headed by the Minister of Defense. In mid 182 ABY Lok named himself Supreme Commander of the Galactic Republic Military, effectively making his senior to everyone in the Galactic Republic with concern to the Army and Navy. Loks initiatives helped found the modern armies and navies of the Republics and Alliances. Republic Army The Republic Army became a force comparable with the Imperial Army, it trained consistently and recruiting stations sprang up everywhere once the creation of the Republic Army was announced. It would earn a dangerous reputation as "Loks Soldiers" which was because of it's creator. The Republic Army used updated A825 blaster rifles and wore basic protection comparable to the standard issue Imperial Army trooper, the Republic Army eventually formed a Special Forces division which was known as the "Chancellors" due to their powerful and commanding nature. Republic Navy The Republic Navy suffered more then the Republic Army, the Army was hailed as the personal favorite of the Chancellor therefore experienced a far greater reputation and financial assistance. The Republic Navy however was close behind the Imperial Navy, making extensive use of modernized ships and tactics late in Lok's tenure. Post-Lok military After Lok resigned, it was shown in defense reports that the military sharply declined. It became more of a defensive force and not an offensive force. The army experienced a sharp decline in recruitment and the navy became far more prominent. Astrography At it's height, the Galactic Republic was unmatched in size and strength, the Galactic Republic controlled nearly 85% of the Galaxy and held onto it with an iron grip. The capital of the Galactic Republic was Coruscant, which was the capital of all following governments except when in 259 ABY Coruscant was captured by the Kicka Empire. Sources *1 - http://z7.invisionfree.com/StarWarsGalaxy/index.php? Category:Factions